Come Follow Me: WOAH! Wasn't I Just Emailing?

August 27, 2015

Hello Hello Everyone,

Well first off thank you all for the e-mails and letters:) I honestly can not express how AMAZING it is as a missionary to get mail, any mail at all:) So I am glad I have a great support group back home whom I love. Kids, keep it up in school and Tanner and Bry good luck with college and such! Everyone sounds good and like life is back into the swing of things. Grandma Bonnie, keep that garden up and running just like I know you can. Those dilly beans can't can themselves;) haha love you cute Grandma of mine. But everyone sounds great and I am so so happy to hear that. I pray for you everyday at least twice a day:)

Well my week, where to begin?! We will start with the investigators I guess. Um.. this week was another good week of lessons except a few disappointments as well. Aoyaga San commited to keep the word of wisdom last week and this week in our lesson he said he drank over the weekend and that crushed my heart. He knows the church is true and knows he can use the atonement but just struggles on how Christ can help him in other ways so we are working on that this week.. Yonaha San had a rough week, she tried to commit suicide and she is just confused with knowing when she feels the holy ghost so we are working on that this week as well. I just want to hug them and just say God loves you and you know it so COME ON! hahaha but we are doing our best to follow the spirit and teach them what they need. We aren't allowed to write down our lesson anymore (we had to before because we didn't know japanese) but now we just have to plan it out in english and speak from what we know... WOW!!!! That has been an interesting adjustment but it is helping us improve our language a lot.

So here is yet another intersting story of the week... so there is this Elder going to Florida and I was doing laundry after I e-mailed home and he asked me to bear my testiomny in japense because he was just english speaking so he wanted to hear it so I did.. and honestly from there on out, everytime he would see me he like ran to me and just kept being over friendly we will say and I just can't believe the Elders and the guts they got here! And my companions brother is here in the mtc and he told me that his roommate was talking about "how cute sister smith is" like WOAH ELDERS! Lock your heart and stop hahahaha so he came and talked to me the other day and my companion made up some excuse why we had to leave and he was like so mad.. oh boy elders.. they got lots to learn;) haha

So a spiritual thought of the week, we were at choir and our director always shares spiritual moments through out practicing and so he was talking about returning to our savior and father in heaven so he shared this story by Elder Holland called "I Stand All Amazed", PLEASE LOOK IT UP:) It will touch your heart so much... I wish I had more time to talk about it. But as you read it, just think of that story being like you returning to your father in heaven and how great that day will be. I know when he read it to us, I just teared up and thought about how great it will feel to be back in the presence of our Father in Heaven and he will be so proud of us and what we accomplished on this earth if we do what he asks us too. So please go read this talk:)

Okay, so our devotional tuesday was a little different then normal. Elder Corbridge of the 70 spoke and he was a little boring.. whoops I know bad of me. But his wife spoke and I just want to share a little thought from her talk. It has just been in my head all the time ever since and I feel like it is something I need to share. So she was talking about staying strong in the gospel and never falling away. Her last quote to end her talk was "Stay in the light and hold on tight." And I just loved that.. Everyone, if you have the light of Christ in you life and hold on tight to that light I promise you that he will bless you and staying strong in the church will be the greatest thing and it will bring you more joy than you know. I promise. Hold on tight to that light which you have, keep it and then share it. Think about how sad you are when someone you love isn't hanging on tight or doesn't have the light... So imagine the pain our Father in Heaven feels when there are millions of his children that don't have the light. Change someones life, make a difference today:) I know it will bless your life and of course you will be very blessed. I know that to be true so please do it:)

But besides that, this week was just yet another week here in the MTC... Class all day, gospel study, language study, and teaching all the time! It is a great place:) I am for sure so ready to just get to japan and do that work but also how scary that seems haha I love this work oh so much! For sure the hardest thing I have ever done but I would not change it for the world or anything:) Our savior is there for us no matter what is going on. no matter how big or small. Please turn to him. He is the greatest listener and best advice giver there ever was so turn to him in times of need. He is our best friend, he loves you more than you can comprehend and don't ever forget that:) I love you all and I am so blessed to have people like you in my life! Keep being amazing and make a difference:) Untill next week!

-Smith Shimai:)

#TRUST